Nut shelling and separating machine.



F. S, SPITZ. NUT SHELLING AND SEPARATING MACHINE.

APPLICATI ON FILED SEPT- 26,1916.

Patented. Jan. 9,1917.

Inventor Faiime 5.3mm

Attornez .1

F. s. SPITZ.

NUT SHELLING AND S EPARATING MACHINE.

APPLlCATIDN HL ED SEPT. 26, 1916- Pa fiented Jan. 9, 191?,

l withessi F. S. SPITZ,

NUT SHELLING AND SEPARATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.26. I9l6.

Patenmd Jan. 9, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

FANNIE S. SPITZ, OF ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO.

NUT SHELLING AND SEPARATING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Application filed September 26, 1916. Serial No. 122,270.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, FANXIn S. Srrrz, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Albuquerque, county of Bcrnalillo, State of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut Shelling and Separating Machines, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

My invention relates to improvements in nut-shelling machines and has for its object the provision of a machine of this character adapted for removing the hull from pifion and similar nuts.

In the drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation of my improved machine, the shelling mechanism being shown partly in sec- .tion; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view. of the stationary shelling member; Fig. 3' 1s a detail view of therotary conical shell-,

ing member; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the separating pan; Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the front support for the shelling =mechanism and the blast fan; Fig. 6 is ancnd view of the rear support for the shelling mechanism and the separating pan; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the sup )orting stand for the shelling and separating mechanism; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the nut-meat receptacle; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the assembled machine; Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the shelling and separating mechanism; Fig. 11 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of separating pan;

and Fig. 12 is a detail plan view of the bearing support for the gearing of the shelling and separating mechanism.

My improved apparatus embodies a frame 2, on the'top of which is mounted a supporting stand for the shelling and separating mechanism embodying a pair of brackets s and t. to tho top of which is secured a base j in he form ofan annular ring having a yoke 9'" extending diametrically across the same, which vokc is provided with a central dome j Mounted upon the base j is a stationary shelling member a in the form of alhollow c lmder having downwardly and lIlWtlIdl) inclined-walls and an outwardly-flared bottom bolted or otherwisesecured to the base j. The inner surface of the shelling member a is provided with vertically-disposed channels 2' extending substantially from the top to the bottom thereof. These channels may, if desired, be made of varying depth for the purpose of securely holding nuts of diiferent sizes. A' hopper' c is mounted upon the top of the shelllng member a and is fastened in place by means of wing nuts or other suitable fastening de-- vices. The hopper c is provided with a diametrically-extending yoke d having a central vertically-disposed shaft-bearing d in.

which is journaled a vertical shaft '0.

Threaded into the shaft-bearing d is a hollow nut f which fits over the top of the vertical shaft and is provided with a plurality of inwardly-projecting lugs or screws f which engage in an annular groove e in the shaft 6.

At its lower end, the shaft 6 is slidably journaled in a bearing Z in bearing-support Z secured to the base 7' beneath the dome 1' Near its lower end the shaft 6 is provided with a square portion a on which is mounted a bevel gear 7 having a square opening corresponding to the square portion of the shaft. The bevel gear 7 meshes with the bevel gear 6 mounted on the end of the shaft 5 journaled in the base 7' and the bearing Z of the bearing-support Z. A hollow conical grinding member k is hung on the shaft 0 by means of a screw 9, so as to rotate therewith and to yield laterally with respect to the shaft when unequal. pressure is brought upon its outer surface.v The" a spiral spring m bearing upon a ring mloosely mounted on the shaft e. The springs m are adjustably confined within the radial passages by means of suitable set screws and exert pressure upon the ring m to normally center the cone 70 upon the shaft 0.

A separating pan 0 is mounted on the supports 8 and t beneath the shelling mechanism in a position to receive the cracked nuts delivered therefrom. The pan 0 is provided with a downwardly-inclined and transversely-corrugated bottom 0.- The lower front end of the pan is supported on the rod 9 secured in openings 9 in the front supports a by means of one or more brackets 1 riveted at their opposite ends to the bottom of the pan and to lugs 0 pro-- meshing with the bevel gear 6.

v and this tubing is his tween the stationary with a resilient sell-centering permit of varying the inclination of the pan 0. The front end of the pan is free to move longitudinally and sidewise on its support. At its rear end, the pan is supported on red r by means of suitable straps riveted'to the bottom of the pan and is free to move laterally along the grooves or ways a between the supports 25. The rod r is adapted to roll or slide in grooves or ways 1' formed in the inner faces of the rear sup ports f. Journaled on a pin 9 depending from the bearing-support 11 is a bevel gear Fixed to the lower face of the bevel gear 8 is a crank )in 11 the outer dc )endin end of which is 7 n Journaled in a hole in the 0" extending transversely and secured to the side walls of the same. At its lower end, the wall of the pan 0 is cut away to form a discharge opening 0" for the nut-meats. A blast fan 1) is mounted on shaft st jonrnalcd in bracket 1) depei'iding from the base j in front'ot' the discharge opening 0, and on the outer end of the shalt 4 is fixed a gear 2 meshing with a gear 1. fixed on the The s lia'l't 5 may be driven by a hand-crank as shown in the drawings or by any suitable motor At its open rear end. the walls of the pan 0 are contraetial to form a discharge spout/i the top of which is covered by a hood [it secured to the base j. Secured to the discharge end of the spout formed by the contracted portion 0 and the hood uis a flexible tubing 1' supported near its upper end by a bracket 3 attached to the frame a, connected at its lower end to the shell and dust collecting bag supported upon a; wire mesh shell at the bot tom of the stand A nut-meat receptacle nris supported on the stand 2 above the shell-collecting bag and is provided at its top with a funnel 'H) disposed beneath the nut meat discharge opening 0 in the supporting pan 0. The receptacle a: has an inelined bottom to l'acilitate the delivery of nut-mcats through the shear-gate 1 in the operation ol' my device the nuts led into the hopper l'all in the space he- L"rindin member It and the rotary conical ,g'rindiire member 1' and are carried downwardly by the action of gravity and the action of the spiral channels on the rota y L'rimlintl' member. The verticall channels; In 'lhe stationary 1rrinding member serve to hold the nuts to l'acilitate the stripping- :ii'tiul) ol' the spiral channels on the rotary grinding member. The space between the outer surface of the conical grinding: member and the inner surl'acc ol the grinding member may be readily varied by adjusting" the nut in the bearing 1''. lt will be observed that by loosely l'iaiig'iiig the cone A on the shalt r and providing il device, I promiddle of a strap across the pan 0 outer end of shaft 5.

vutes the meats over vide a delicately adjusted grinding cone which will yield laterally if unequal pressure is brought to bear upon its periphery by the larger nuts, to prevent crushing of the meats thereof. The cracked nuts fall into the separating pan which is given a rotary reciproiaitory motion to thoroughly agitate the meals and shells which are at the same time subjected to the action of a blast of air from the t'an passing upwardly and rearwardly along the inclined pan bottom toward the shell and dust discharge spout. ,The shells and dust are carried by the blast into the collecting sack and the nut-meats are dis charged through the opening 0 in the front wallof the pan and fall into the nut-meat receptacle .v.

If it be desired to separate the whole nut meats from the broken nut meats, I may use the separating device illustrated in Fig. 10. In this device, I attach to the bottom of the pan 0 a pan 9 so that this pan 9 will be agitated in unison with pan 0. In this pan 1 I provide a perforated false bottom 1", on which bottom the broken meats and the whole meats fall from the pan 0. The vibration of the separating device distrib the entire area of the perforated bottom and causes the broken and smaller meats to fall through the perforations into a flexible tubing 8, While the whole and larger nut meats are carried inwardlv and discharged over the inward end of the perforated bottom r whence they fall into a separate flexible tubing t. The flexible tubes a" and i may be connected to any suitable type of separate bin or compartnient. preferably of the type shown in Figs. 1 and 8.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. In a nut-shelling machine. the combination of a vertically-disposed stationary cylindrical grinding member. a laterallyyieldable conical grinding member rotatably mounted within said stationary member,

resilient means for normally centering said conical member vertically within the stationary member, and means for rotating the conical member.

2. In a nutshelling .dtlClllllC, the combination o'l a stand, a stationary grinding cylinder mounted thereon. a hopper supported on the top of said grinding cylinder and lntving a yoke extending diametrically across the top of the cylinder, said yoke being provided with a central verticnlly-(lisposed shal'hbeai'iiig'. a vertical sha 't rotatably mounted in said bear-in means for adjustably supporting said shaft embodying a hollow cap threaded on v aid bearing and having lll'2![:(lldflll'fljttlllltf lugs engaging in an annular groove in said shaft. a verticallydisposed hollow coni al grinding member .mounted I'll said shaft to rotate therewith and capable of moving laterally with respect thereto, means for normally centering said conical member Within the stationary member. and means for driving said shaft.

0. In a machine of the class setforth, the combii'iation ot' a stand, and means for separating the meats and shells comprising a pan having a downwardly-inclined bottom and a discharge opening at its lower end and provided with. a constricted lis :harge spout at its upper end, a nut-meat receptacle supported on the stand below the lower discharge opening, a shell and dustcollecting bag supl iorted on said stand and having a flexible connection with the discharge spout, a fillbblOWLl' mounted adjacent the lower discharge opening adapted to deliver an airblast upwardly along the inclined pan bottom toward the discharge spout, means for driving the. fan, and means for imparting a rotary i'cciprocatory motion to the pan.

In testimony whereof I hereunto allix my signature.

FANNII'J S. SPIJZ.

Witnesses:

Nnuir, l5. Fume, A. l IIUTCIIINSUN. 

